"Teaching against idiocy"

This is a really interesting article! Teaching Against Idiocy, Phi Delta Kappa, 2005, by Walter C. Parker
Link to MS Word version http://www.shanoglesby.net/ParkerTeachingAgainstIdiocy.doc

He writes, among other things..
Idiocy shares with idiom and idiosyncratic the root idios, which means private, separate, self-centered -- selfish... When a person's behavior became idiotic -- concerned myopically with private things and unmindful of common things -- then the person was believed to be like a rudderless ship, without consequence save for the danger it posed to others. This meaning of idiocy achieves its force when contrasted with polites (citizen) or public. Here we have a powerful opposition: the private individual versus the public citizen...An idiot is one whose self-centeredness undermines his or her citizen identity, causing it to wither or never to take root in the first place. Private gain is the goal, and the community had better not get in the way.

Social location, social identity

This article offers an approach to having students map their social location, and can be applied across many curricular areas!
http://www.jstor.org/pss/3650579?cookieSet=1

John Stossel?! "Gimme a break"

Not my favourite TV personality, but he is generous in freebies for teachers. His personalized email says:

Order the New Stossel in the Classroom "2010 Edition" Free DVD: This year's free educational DVD is now available! The Stossel in the Classroom "2010 Edition" DVD includes both English and Spanish subtitles, as well as an accompanying Teacher's Guide (also in both English and Spanish) containing lesson plans, activity suggestions, handouts, and vocabulary. Place your order today! Past titles available as well.
http://stosselintheclassroom.org/selectdvd.php

He has videos available at the time of writing for 2007 through 2010 (free shippping!!), and the topics range from business to civics, to general news items. Teachers' guides are avaialble - but remember to look at the content CRITICALLY. In addition to being US-focused, his DVDs tend to be a bit biased to the right. Not a bad thing - but something you need to balance when using these in the classroom.